Seismic design and performance of surface foundations

Abstract

Within the context of shallow foundation design this paper considers the need for more effective interaction between geotechnical and structural design teams so that progress towards the integrated design of structure-foundation systems can be achieved. The paper considers four aspects: (i) the role of the shallow foundation bearing strength surface, (ii) the variability in soil properties relative to variations in structural properties, (iii) the observation that bed-of-spring models cannot represent correctly vertical and rotational stiffness of shallow foundation, and (iv) an example of the numerical prediction of seismic response of a low-rise structure founded on shallow foundations is presented which indicates that moment free connections between the foundations and building columns leads to a more economical design. © 2007 Springer.